


Broken Home

by second_go



Series: 5SOS snippets [1]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Angst, Arguing, F/M, Family, singlemother!you, slight romance, touring!michael
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 13:36:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5207792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/second_go/pseuds/second_go
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Who's right, who's wrong, who really cares? </i>
  <br/>
  <i>The fault, the blame, the pain's still there.</i>
  <br/>
  <i>I'm here alone inside of this broken home.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken Home

"I won custody over them, you can't take them away from me!"

She found it hard, so hard, to not punch that shit eating grin off of his face, but what else could she do? He shouldn't have the permission to show up at her doorstep again, asking to look at ( ~~their~~ ) her child, just because he damn well felt like it.

And seeing that stupid smirk fall right off his face, as if he had expected her to let him in and give him a 'second' chance, brought unexpected joy to her. He didn't think he could just walk in there, tell her his short speech and think she'd let him in just like that.

"What do you mean? I'm their father, let me see them."

"What father? You?"

"Yes, me! The one who they share half their DNA with, the one that wanted them in the first place, the one-"

"That wasn't there for them when they needed you? The one that wasn't there for their birthday because you were on the other side of this globe fucking some other groupie? The one that couldn't even call to see if they were okay in the first place!"

She felt the tears stinging in her eyes, and she blinked them away quickly because raising two children as a single mother wasn't hard but it wasn't exactly the best life either. She loved the children and even though he  _did_  want them first, it wasn't because he wanted a family and he was  _never_  ever there to take care of them in the first place.

So what if he had wanted them first? What use was that pathetic argument if he was never there for them?

"Jessica, look, I know I haven't been the best father-"

"You were never their father. Where was this father when Jacelyn had her first ballet recital? Where was this father when Gabriel learned how to crawl; how to talk; how to walk. You're not a father, you're just a man who they share half their genetics with. But that doesn't make you a father."

She could see every slump in his shoulder, every glossy gaze he gave her when every sharp word would pierce his heart, every tremble of his lips when she felt her own glare harden and she hated every moment of it because that wasn't Michael Clifford. Michael Clifford was this confident, vulgar yet chirpy guy that made every girl ( ~~including her~~ ) swoon by just being next to them.

"Look, I know I fucked up on our children-"

"My children."

"But is there any way to start over? Not with another child, but with us? Because I really miss you."

She shook her head, curly read hair flying everywhere as teal eyes softened slightly, but still maintains their positing as her glare.

 _Start over_? Just how many times did he need to start over with her before he figured out and accepted the fact that their personalities would never work with each other?

"I told you this when we had Jacelyn, I told you this when we had Gabriel and I'll telling you this for the last time; children are not glue, and they're not going to fix whatever this is between us," she gestured to the space between the two, not liking the distance herself but not wanting to get any closer either because God knows what they'll both do if they took another step towards each other.

"I know, that's why I want to retry all of this. No more trying for children- just you, me, Jacelyn and Gabriel as a happy family. I'll be a father this time, I promise," he offered a sad smile and she could feel her heart move at what he's said. She's be lying if she said the thought of that had never come up before, the thought of trying without anymore children and just the four of them as a normal family, but then she remembers that he still has to leave for his tours; that he's not always going to be there for them no matter what he says because he  _can't_.

And  _she_  can't keep waiting for him to come back.

"Look, Clifford, it was nice seeing you again and it's nice to know that you care, but no. No more 'second chances' because who knows when you're leaving again, who knows when you're  _coming back_  again. You'll leave me in the morning and I wouldn't know where in the world you are, because for all I know, you're fucking another groupie again."

"I told you that was a mistake, didn't I?!"

"It wasn't a mistake that you can take back. Not telling me directly was one thing but trying to lie to me to cover it up? Thinking you were texting Luke, asking him what to do about you fucking another girl when you were perfectly sober and she was drunk, still adding that she was the best fuck you've had in a while? Don't bullshit me, Clifford, cause none of that was a mistake and you're not sorry for anything. You want to help? Fine, child support money. I need more that more than I need you in my life."

And that managed to shut him up. He looked down at his shoes, shuffling the heavy leather boots around and looking for another word to say. She was on the verge of crying as all the memories rushed back, recounting all their arguments and yelling and screaming and crying mostly from her part. She still remembers the broken plates on the floor and the shattered vase with water droplets and marbles rolling out of it.

Frankly, it scared her that Michael could get like that.

"Do we really need to get back on a last name basis again? Because I thought we were long past that phrase."

"You tell me, Clifford."

"I'm guessing the answer's not a no?"

"You're smarter than I remember you being."

"I'm sorry, I really am Miss West."

"Well I'm not, and Gabriel's going to wake up soon so you better get going."

He nodded his head, still looking down at his shoes and his hands tucked into his pocket.

"And also, here." She slipped a silver band off of her left ring finger and dropped it in front of him, just as he slipped down enough to fall on his knees. "I- I don't need it anymore, so you can keep it."

She saw him weakly nod his head and something in her heart told her that this wasn't right; that maybe she should give him another chance after all because she doesn't recall seeing him so broken ever in his entire life; and that maybe, if she hoped hard enough, they really could start over this time and it would work.

But she wasn't a woman that second thought herself and if she had decided on something, she would stick to it. All the love; all the security she's gotten from him, all the hope he had her believing in- it wasn't the same man and she wasn't the same woman. They're weren't teenagers and in love anymore. They were grown adults with some other people's lives to take care of, so it's definitely be a bit harder to believe in him this time.

"If you ever need to check up on me, call Luke or something. I talk to him occasionally," she lightly kicked the ring towards him and walked behind the door once again.

"It was nice to see you again, Mister Clifford." And before she closed the door, she heard a sob from his direction and it really broke her heart to heard something so pathetic from him.

What happened to that spunky kid who was always trying to grab her attention in the strangest ways possible?

What happened to that chirpy guy who always woke her up with a morning kiss and a happy way to start her day?

What happened to...

What happened to her?

What happened to being happy that she was finally rid of him? She wasn't supposed to be sliding down her front door with regrets as if this was a cheesy teenage romance movie.   
And she most defiantly wasn't supposed to be shedding tears at the fact that they've finally lost whatever chance they had at making up because she didn't want to make up, she didn't need this new heartbreak with the guy whose hair color was constantly changing.

"Who was that, mommy?"

She looked up and saw her 7-year-old daughter looking down at her, wide eyes reflecting her mother's sadden image and feeling a frown tug at her lips. She kneeled down in front of her mother and and wiped away her tears with her chubby fingers, growing deeper as the tears flowed faster than she could wipe it.

"Nobody sweetie, just a stranger."

She pulled her daughter into her chest, patting the back of her head and preventing her daughter from seeing her cry. Her daughter could feel the hot teardrops on her head, almost as if she was being hit by raindrops, but she hugged her mother tightly around her and snuggled into her mother's ample bosom.

"When's Daddy ever coming back?"

She felt her mother stiffen before feeling more hot tears rain down on the top of her head.

"He's no one but a stranger now sweetie. Just a stranger..."


End file.
